Assam-Mizoram jt team to free encroached forest land

A joint team of Assam and Mizoram governments have decided that encroached border forest land between the two states will be freed, Conservator of Forest, Silchar, Binay Gupta, said today.

The decision was taken at a meeting at Dholai in Cachar district of Assam yesterday.

The verification of illegal structures constructed within the 509 sq km Inner Line Reserved Forest would commence from April 12, a senior home department official of the Mizoram government said in Aizawl.

A joint team comprising officials of the two state governments, and representatives of civil societies of both the states would launch the verification and eviction drive.

The meeting decided that the verification would start from Zophai near Bairabi along the districts of Kolasib in Mizoram and of Hailakandi in Assam, the flash point of the border tension since March 8, the official said.

The areas will be from Kachurtol in Cachar district to Jesai in Mizoram, Dholchora, Dolaikhal and Lailapur along the inter-state border, Gupta said.

The joint verification team was constituted after a meeting between Mizoram and Assam officials at Zophai on March 28 under the chairmanship of Ministry of Home Affair's Joint Secretary Satyendra Garg.